JP2017164398A - Walking assist vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a walking assist vehicle configured to easily and reliably get over a step, regardless of a simple configuration.SOLUTION: The walking assist vehicle includes: long holes 32 formed on forks 30 for sliding axles 31 of front wheels 2; a forearm support base 9 against which the upper body is leaned, with the elbows put thereon; a handle 7 that is gripped when walking; brake units 10 for locking rear wheels 3; and hand brakes 20 for operating the brake units 10. The hand brakes 20 are disposed close to the handle 7 so as to be gripped integrally with the handle 7. In a state where the handle 7 and the hand brakes 20 are integrally gripped to lock the rear wheels 3 by the hand brakes 20, the handle 7 is uplifted, so that the axles 31 are slid along the long holes 32 by restitutive force of the elongated energizing means 35 and the front wheels 31 move forward integrally with the axles 31 to get over a step 25.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to a walking assistance vehicle that supports a user's body and assists walking.

  Walking aid vehicles have been used as an aid to help people who have difficulty walking on their own. A typical example of a walking assistance vehicle is one in which four wheels, a front wheel and a rear wheel, are attached to a frame integrated with the steering wheel, and a user walks while holding the steering wheel and supporting the body with the walking assistance vehicle. There are cases where there are steps on the ground or floor surface on which the walking assistance vehicle runs, and in order to get over the steps, it is necessary to move forward while floating the front wheels, which is a burden on the user.

  For this reason, various types of walking assistance vehicles having a mechanism for facilitating overcoming a step have been proposed. For example, the walking assist device described in Patent Document 1 includes a caster having an auxiliary wheel at the front and a main wheel at the rear, and the main wheel at the step by interposing a link mechanism between the auxiliary wheel and the main wheel. The impact at the time of collision can be mitigated, and it becomes possible to get over the step smoothly.

JP 2006-306246 A

  However, the walking aid described in Patent Document 1 is based on the premise that an auxiliary wheel is provided on the main wheel, and has a complicated structure with a link mechanism interposed between the auxiliary wheel and the main wheel. . Further, the height of the auxiliary wheel is assumed to be at the same position as the step or higher than the step, and the height of the step that can be overcome is limited.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a walking assistance vehicle that can realize easy and reliable overcoming of a step while having a simple structure.

  In order to achieve the above object, a walking assistance vehicle of the present invention is a walking assistance vehicle that supports a user's body and assists walking, and includes a fork that supports a front wheel, an axle of the front wheel that is formed on the fork. A long hole for sliding the wheel, an urging means that expands and contracts integrally with the slide of the axle, a forearm support for attaching the upper body with an elbow, a handle for gripping during walking, and a brake unit for locking the rear wheel A hand brake for operating the brake unit, and the hand brake is disposed so as to be close to the handle so as to be grasped integrally with the handle, and the handle and the hand brake are grasped integrally. By lifting the handle while the rear wheel is locked by the hand brake, the restoring force of the urging means extended By the axle to slide along the elongated hole, the front wheel is characterized in that so as to be over a bump proceeds forward the axle integrally. According to this structure, the restoring force of the extended urging means forces the stepping over the front wheel step, and in addition to being able to use a simple structure for this purpose, the stepping over the step can be performed by the user. Since it becomes possible to maintain the posture while walking, the step can be easily and reliably overcome.

  In the walking assistance vehicle of the present invention, it is preferable that the length of the long hole is 1/3 or more of the diameter of the front wheel. According to this configuration, the slide amount of the axle is increased, which is advantageous for overcoming the step.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said long hole inclines so that the said rear-wheel side may become low. According to this configuration, in the process in which the axle slides from the front end to the rear end of the long hole, the force from the axle acts on the front wheel from a high position to a low position, so the separation of the front wheel from the ground contact surface is promoted. As a result, the stability of overcoming a step is improved.

  The effects of the present invention are as described above. The restoring force of the extended urging means forces the stepping over the front wheel step, and the structure for this is sufficient in simple structure. Since it becomes possible for a person to maintain a posture while walking on a flat surface, the step can be easily and reliably overcome.

The external appearance perspective view which looked at the walk auxiliary vehicle concerning one embodiment of the present invention from back. The external appearance perspective view which looked at the walk auxiliary vehicle concerning one embodiment of the present invention from the front. The enlarged view of the A section of FIG. The enlarged view of the B section of FIG. The principal part perspective view which shows the attachment structure of a fork and an axle shaft in one Embodiment of this invention. The fragmentary sectional view which shows the attachment structure of a fork and an axle shaft in one Embodiment of this invention. The side view near the front wheel concerning one embodiment of the present invention. The side view which shows the state which the axle shaft shown in FIG. 7 slid to the position of the rear end of a long hole. The side view which shows the state immediately after the walk auxiliary vehicle which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention contact | abuts to the level | step difference. The side view which shows the state which the user pushed the walk auxiliary vehicle ahead in the state which the front wheel of the walk auxiliary vehicle shown in FIG. 9 contact | abutted the level | step difference. FIG. 11 is a side view showing a state where the walking assistance vehicle has reached the level difference from the state of FIG. 10. The side view which shows the state which stepped over the level | step difference of the walk auxiliary vehicle advanced from the state of FIG. The side view which shows the state which the front wheel of the walk auxiliary vehicle got over the level | step difference from the state of FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG.1 and FIG.2 is an external appearance perspective view of the walking auxiliary vehicle 1 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view seen from the rear, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view seen from the front. The walking auxiliary vehicle 1 travels while the four wheels of the two front wheels 2 and the two rear wheels 3 rotate on the ground or floor traveling surface.

  The walking auxiliary vehicle 1 forms a main body portion with a frame 4. A handle stem 6 and a forearm support base 9 are attached to a handle stem 6 incorporated in the cylindrical portion 5 of the frame 4. The forearm support base 9 can be tilted forward, and in this state, it can be seated on the seat surface 15. Moreover, the structure which can tilt down both the handle | steering-wheel 7 and the forearm support stand 9 may be sufficient.

  The handle stem 6 can be adjusted in height by changing the amount of expansion and contraction from the cylindrical portion 5. A handle pad 8 made of a flexible material is attached to the handle 7 so as to wrap the frame portion of the handle 7, and the user walks while holding the handle pad 8. The handle pad 8 is for improving gripping comfort and preventing slipping, but it may be omitted and the frame portion of the handle 7 may be directly gripped.

  The user can take the posture of grasping the handle 7 and putting the elbow on the forearm support base 9 and the upper body, and can run the walking auxiliary vehicle 1 in this state. As a result, the user can significantly reduce the burden on the lower body. A hand brake 20 is provided at a position close to the handle 7. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 3, the rear wheel 3 can be locked by pulling the hand brake 20 toward the handle 7. The hand brake 20 is disposed close to the handle 7 to such an extent that it can be grasped integrally with the handle 7. Therefore, the user can brake the walking auxiliary vehicle 1 by pulling the hand brake 20 toward the handle 7 to lock the rear wheel 3 while maintaining the posture while walking while grasping the handle 7.

  FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 1, and an enlarged view of the vicinity of the rear wheel 3 is shown. In FIG. 1, the brake wire 21 is pulled by pulling the hand brake 20 toward the handle 7, and the arm 11 in the brake unit 10 rotates in FIG. 3. With this rotation, the brake pad 12 presses the rear wheel 3, and the rear wheel 3 is locked. Further, the brake unit 10 includes a speed controller, and by rotating the adjustment knob 13, the degree to which the roller 14 is pressed against the rear wheel 3 can be adjusted, and the running resistance can be adjusted by adjusting the resistance during running. Can be adjusted.

  FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of a portion B in FIG. 1 and shows an enlarged view of the vicinity of the front wheel 2. In FIG. 4, the fork 30 is formed so as to sandwich the front wheel 2, and the front wheel 2 is attached to the fork 30 via an axle 31. A structure for attaching the front wheel 2 to the fork 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part showing a mounting structure between the fork 30 and the axle 31. In this figure, for the sake of convenience, the fork 30 shows only one half and the illustration of the front wheel 2 is omitted. The structure shown in FIG. 5 is the same in the other half of the other side of the fork 30 (not shown).

  In FIG. 5, the end portion of the axle 31 is inserted through the elongated hole 32, and the axle 31 can slide along the elongated hole 32 in the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole 32 (arrow a direction). A support plate 33 is attached to the axle 31 so as to be rotatable about the axle 31, and a protrusion 34 is fixed to the fork 30. A spring 35 as an urging means is interposed between the support plate 33 and the projecting portion 34, and one end of the spring 35 is attached to the support plate 33 and the other end is attached to the projecting portion 34. According to this configuration, when the axle 31 slides along the long hole 32 toward the rear wheel 3 (in the direction of arrow a), the spring 35 extends while changing the inclination angle integrally with the support plate 33.

  FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a mounting structure between the fork 30 and the axle 31. This figure corresponds to a view of the front wheel 2 as viewed from the back, the front wheel 2 is shown by simplifying only the main part, and the fork 30 is shown partially in a sectional state (cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 5). Equivalent). A front wheel 2 is mounted inside the fork 30. A pipe 18 is formed at the center of the wheel of the front wheel 2, and an axle 31 is inserted through the pipe 18. In FIG. 6, the bearing is not shown for convenience of explanation. The axle 31 is hollow in the vicinity of the end, and a bolt 38 is fastened to the end. That is, when the axle 31 before tightening the bolt 38 is inserted through the left long hole 32 of the fork 30, the pipe 18 and the right long hole 32 in this order, and then the bolt 38 is tightened to the axle 31, the state shown in FIG. The front wheel 2 is attached to the fork 30 via the axle 31.

  FIG. 7 shows a side view of the vicinity of the front wheel 2. This figure shows a state where the walking auxiliary vehicle 1 is stationary on the flat surface 24, and the axle 31 is in the position of the front end of the long hole 32 of the fork 30. This state is the same even when the walking assistance vehicle 1 is traveling on the flat surface 24. In the state of FIG. 7, the spring 35 is not extended, and the restoring force by the spring 35 is not acting. As described above, the axle 31 can slide along the long hole 32 and can slide up to the position of the rear end of the long hole 32 at the maximum.

  FIG. 8 is a side view showing a state in which the axle 31 is slid to the position of the rear end of the long hole 32. This figure shows a state when the auxiliary walking vehicle 1 is to be advanced in a state where the front wheel 2 is in contact with the step 25 and the forward movement of the front wheel 2 is restricted. In the state of this figure, the spring 35 is extended, and a restoring force of the spring 35 acts in a direction to return the axle 31 to the front end side of the long hole 32.

  As described with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the walking auxiliary vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment allows the front wheel 2 to abut on the step and the front wheel 2 because the axle 31 can slide along the long hole 32. Even if the forward movement of the fork 30 is restricted, the fork 30 can move forward together with the frame 4. As the fork 30 moves forward, the spring 35 expands, and a restoring force by the spring 35 acts on the front wheel 2 in a direction to move the front wheel 2 forward. As will be described later in detail, in addition to this restoring force, the walking assistance vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment uses the brakes to maintain the posture of the user with the elbow attached to the forearm support base 9 and the upper body. The ability to lock the door makes it easy and reliable to get over the steps.

  Hereinafter, about the walk auxiliary vehicle 1 concerning one embodiment of the present invention, operation before and after going over a level difference is explained. FIG. 9 is a side view showing a state immediately after the front wheel 2 of the walking assistance vehicle 1 contacts the step 25. In this state, the positional relationship between the front wheel 2 and the fork 30 is the same as in FIG. 7, the spring 35 is not extended, and the axle 31 is at the position of the front end of the long hole 32 of the fork 30.

  FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which the user pushes the walking assist vehicle 1 forward while the front wheel 2 is in contact with the step 25. In this figure, the frame 4 is moved forward while the forward movement of the front wheel 2 is constrained, and accordingly the fork 30 and the rear wheel 3 are moved forward by a distance L.

  In the walking assistance vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, the brake wire 21 is pulled and the rear wheel 3 is locked by pulling the hand brake 20 toward the handle 7 as described above. In the state of FIG. 10, the hand brake 20 is separated from the handle 7 (see part C), and the rear wheel 3 is not locked. When stepping over the step 25, the walking auxiliary vehicle 1 is operated with the rear wheel 3 locked. Hereinafter, the operation of the walking auxiliary vehicle 1 when getting over the step 25 will be described.

  When the front wheel 2 and the rear wheel 3 are on the flat surface 24 as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the user walks by grabbing the handle 7 with the elbow on the forearm support base 9 and the upper body. As described above, in the present embodiment, the hand brake 20 is disposed close to the handle 7 to such an extent that it can be grasped integrally with the handle 7. Therefore, the user can lock the rear wheel 3 by pulling the hand brake 20 toward the handle 7 while maintaining the posture while walking on the flat surface 24.

  FIG. 11 is a side view showing a state in which the walking assistance vehicle 1 has reached the level difference 25. In the state of this figure, the hand brake 20 is pulled to the handle 7 side (see part D), and the rear wheel 3 is locked. In this state, the walking auxiliary vehicle 1 can rotate around the point E (the point of contact with the flat surface 24 of the rear wheel 3). Therefore, when the user lifts the handle 7, the walking assistance vehicle 1 rotates around the point E, and the front wheel 2 of the walking assistance vehicle 1 is separated from the flat surface 24.

  More specifically, in FIG. 11, when the user lifts the handle 7, the axle 31 is rotated by an angle α around the point E, and the forearm support base 9 is angled with respect to the horizontal line. It is inclined by β. As described above, the user holds the handbrake 20 integrally with the handle 7 in a state where the elbow is attached to the forearm support base 9 and the upper body is maintained at the time of brake operation. In this state, the user can lift the handle 7 without greatly changing the posture.

  In FIG. 11, the front wheel 2 moves away from the flat surface 24 and moves forward (see arrow b). This is due to the restoring force of the extended spring 35. More specifically, in the state of FIG. 10 before the handle 7 is lifted, as shown in FIG. 8, the axle 31 is slid to the position of the rear end of the long hole 32, and the spring 35 is extended. . By separating the front wheel 2 from the flat surface 24, the restraining force of the front wheel 2 is weakened, and the front wheel 2 moves forward together with the axle 31 by the restoring force of the extended spring 35.

  In FIG. 12, compared with the state of FIG. 11, the front wheel 2 has moved further forward (see arrow c). The positional relationship between the front wheel 2 and the fork 30 in FIG. 12 is the same as that in FIG. 7, and the axle 31 slides to the position of the front end of the elongated hole 32. That is, in the process in which the front wheel 2 gets over the step 25, the axle 31 slides from the rear end to the front end of the long hole 32 by the restoring force of the spring 35, and the front wheel 2 is pushed forward integrally therewith.

  As described above, in this embodiment, since the slide of the axle 31 by the restoring force of the spring 35 is used to get over the step 25, it is preferable that the slide amount is large. Specifically, in FIGS. 7 and 8, the front wheel 2 is obtained by attaching a tire 17 to the wheel 16, and the length of the long hole 32 is preferably 1/3 or more of the diameter of the front wheel 2. . According to this configuration, the slide amount of the axle 31 is increased, which is advantageous for overcoming the step 25.

  7 and 8, the angle of the long hole 32 is not particularly limited, and may be horizontal or inclined as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. If the long hole 32 is horizontal (including substantially horizontal), the resistance when the axle 31 slides becomes small, and smooth sliding becomes possible. Further, when the long hole 32 is inclined, it is preferable that the long hole 32 is inclined so that the rear wheel side (the right side in FIGS. 7 and 8) is lowered. According to this configuration, in the process in which the axle 31 slides from the front end to the rear end of the long hole 32, the force from the axle 31 acts on the front wheel 2 from a higher position toward a lower position. The separation from the distance is promoted, and the stability of overcoming the step is improved.

  FIG. 13 is a side view showing a state where the front wheel 2 of the walking assist vehicle 1 has climbed over the step 25. In this figure, the rear wheel 3 of the walking assist vehicle 1 is in contact with the step 25, but since the front wheel 2 has already ridden on the new flat surface 26, the contact of the rear wheel 3 with the step 25 has great resistance. If the user slightly increases the force of pushing the walking auxiliary vehicle 1 forward, the rear wheel 3 can get over the step 25. After both the front wheel 2 and the rear wheel 3 get over the step 25, the user can walk by the same operation as on the flat surface 24.

  As described above, the climbing over the step 25 of the walking auxiliary vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment has been described. However, in order for the front wheel 2 to climb over the step 25, the front wheel 2 needs to be separated from the ground contact surface. However, if the front wheel 2 is simply separated from the ground contact surface, the position of the front wheel 2 in the height direction remains changed, and the front wheel 2 does not get over the step 25. Further, the front wheel 2 can be separated from the ground contact surface by locking the rear wheel 3 by a brake operation and lifting the handle 7. However, in order to lift the handle 7, it is usually necessary for the user to greatly change the posture, which increases the operation burden.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the spring 35 extends when the user pushes the walking assist vehicle 1 forward while the front wheel 2 is in contact with the step 25. When the front wheel 2 is separated from the ground contact surface in this state, the front wheel 2 moves forward together with the axle 31 due to the restoring force of the extended spring 35, so that the step 25 is forced to get over. In addition, the structure using the restoring force of the spring 35 is completed by the attachment structure of the front wheel 2 and the fork 30, and it is not necessary to add an auxiliary wheel to the front wheel 2, and the structure is not particularly complicated, This can be realized with a simple structure. In addition, since no auxiliary wheel is required, the height of the step 25 that can be overcome is not limited.

  On the other hand, in order to move the front wheel 2 away from the ground contact surface, it is necessary to lock the rear wheel 3 by a brake operation and lift the handle 7. As described above, the user is walking on the flat surface 24 while walking. Since the rear wheel 3 can be locked by pulling the handbrake 20 toward the handle 7 while maintaining the posture, the operation load for separating the front wheel 2 from the ground contact surface is reduced.

  As described above, in this embodiment, overcoming the step 25 is forced by the restoring force of the extended spring 35. In addition to being simple in structure, the overcoming of the step 25 is used. Since it becomes possible for the person to maintain the posture while walking on the flat surface 24, the step 25 can be easily and reliably overcome.

  In the embodiment, the example of the spring 35 has been described as an urging means that expands and contracts integrally with the slide of the axle 31, but the invention is not limited to this, and any elastic member that can be restored may be used. Moreover, although the elongate hole 32 of the fork 30 demonstrated in the example of the through-hole, it is not restricted to this, The elongate hole by which the recessed part extended in the longitudinal direction may be sufficient.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Walk auxiliary vehicle 2 Front wheel 3 Rear wheel 4 Frame 7 Handle 9 Forearm support base 10 Brake unit 16 Wheel 17 Tire 20 Hand brake 30 Fork 31 Axle 32 Long hole 24 Flat surface 25 Step 35 Spring (biasing means)

Claims (3)

A walking assistance vehicle that supports the user's body and assists walking,
A fork supporting the front wheel,
An elongated hole for sliding the axle of the front wheel formed on the fork;
A biasing means that expands and contracts integrally with the slide of the axle;
A forearm support for attaching the upper body with the elbows,
A handle to grip while walking,
A brake unit that locks the rear wheels,
A hand brake for operating the brake unit;
The handbrake is arranged so close to the handle that it can be grasped integrally with the handle,
When the handle and the hand brake are gripped together and the rear wheel is locked by the hand brake, the handle is lifted to restore the axle to the elongated hole by the restoring force of the urging means extended. A walking auxiliary vehicle characterized by sliding along the front axle so that the front wheel can move forward and overcome a step integrally with the axle.   The walking auxiliary vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a length of the elongated hole is 1/3 or more of a diameter of the front wheel. The walking auxiliary vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the elongated hole is inclined so that the rear wheel side is lowered.

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